This scares the curse word out of me!!!

Cars are more reliable - if it starts, its obviously safe and never needs looking at does it (in their eyes)

probably a similar amount with headlights out, indicators out, knackered brake pads, no water in washer bottle etc...

reminds me, i've got to look at my pads tomorrow - I hope ECP have some in stock if they are dead

Those tyres are bloody scary though - how can you not notice them?

I got shouted at by an old lady for telling her that a rear tyre on her car was very low, and that we'd help to sort it if she didnt have a pump (she was in a ferry queue so plenty of time to fix) - she told me to mind my own business!

Thats a good point!

It's people like me who are dangerous drivers though 25 year olds with big engined cars (2 litre diesel is big in these peoples eyes), apparently, not old giffers who can't see and drive deathtraps at 45mph everywhere in the middle of the road

bah

95% + of accidents are pure driver error. Personally, I see shot tyres and brakes as another kind of driver error, but accidents caused by those are still rare.

Just about every accident is caused by somebody not looking where they are bloody well going.

But I have also seen people driving around with flats. The condition of those cars isn't what scares me though. They are still controllable. It is the fact that the driver is so oblivious to what is going on around them, they didn't notice the flat.. If they didn't notice the flat, will they notice ME before it is too late?

So only the ones who know a thing or two about cars will feel changes from a fine tyre to a worn out and almost flat one?

As a motorist it's your responsibility that the car you are driving is safe. Not all motorists on this planet obviously learnt that.

Tyres. don't even get me started, lol
I've taken to removing or slashing the sidewalls on knackered/cracked/older than you are tyres since I gave a cortina owner some rims (with absolutely lethal ancient rubber) on the condition that the tyres went in the bin. He promised, and as he was a kwik-fit fitter (lol, really). Six monts later, I get the same car in (with a new owner) in for a clutch. Guess whats on the back? yup, the bakalite specials. Asked him about the handlin, he says its terrifying, but its an old car, they are all like that Took him for a spin in my mk3, and convinced him new tyres was the best option.

Its also impossible to walk through asdas carpark without spotting at least half a dozen cars with illegal tyres (like six year old, polished every sunday, bald factory fitted rubber all round) and another 20 or so with very obvious under pressure. Obviously, car technology has progressed to the point where tyres last for ever, and never lose air so never need checking.
Telling people 3 points and £1000 per tyre tends to motivate them, but most folk only consider tyres at MoT time.

I agree. A few years ago when I was a little more cavalier about this sort of thing i had a moss-covered Astra estate that was run on a serious budget. It had secondhand remoulds on the back that never seemed to wear out but it had a horrific shake at anything above 50 because one wasn't round any more.
Then one day when stupidly trying to chase a Porsche 911 on the M6 Toll (god knows why I embarked on this mindless task) one blew whilst on a bend. It sent me slewing across the thankfully empty motorway. Filler was flying everywhere but luckily i managed to get it safely to the hard shoulder. Now I'm a bit of a Nazi about tyres - they're your one hope of being able to avoid something/stop/not loose control.
Incidently, I don't have a problem with 2nd hand if I'm buying from a yard if you check carefully. The amount of people who put new tyres on their car 6months before it fails an MOT badly.
As previously said, it's the 3-6 yr old car brigade that seem to think that tyres will last forever.

Modern cars tend to have pas, firm suspension and low profile rubber so when there's a problem the 'average' driver doesn't notice the change in feel.

No, you're all missing the point! So long as they're not speeding they must be safe...........

It's worse than that Pillock. I think people just don't think to check their tyres. With service intervals getting pushed out ever further, it's surely going to become more of an issue. I reckon manufacturers have only done that so engines run out of oil (because numpties don't check them) and go bang and therefore need to be replaced.